LITA 24: Legalized Corruption and Making Sure 2028 Isn't Obama 2.0 with David Sirota
Ana and Deep sit down with David Sirota, founder of The Lever, creator of Master Plan and Meltdown, former Bernie Sanders speechwriter, and one of the sharpest voices in independent political journalism. Sirota walks listeners through the through-line from Obama's supermajority-era failures to Trump's rise, connects it to his 50-year investigation of how the right legalized corruption in America, and offers a warning to the new wave of progressives (Melat Kiros, Zohran Mamdani, Phil Weiser, Abdul El-Sayed) about what happens if they win power and don't use it. Sirota lays out public financing of elections and how Zohran Mamdani couldn't have won New York without it. Denver also has a version of it and it's the single lever that could break the corporate stronghold on Democratic primaries. This is a wisdom-from-an-elder conversation for the movement leaders about to inherit a broken system. We cannot build another cult of personality but instead must build pressure to keep whoever wins accountable.
The Lever: levernews.com
Master Plan (podcast): search "Master Plan" wherever you get your podcasts: https://the.levernews.com/master-plan/
Meltdown (podcast): available on Audible: https://www.levernews.com/meltdown/
00:00 The Supreme Court Just Legalized Bribery
00:40 Show Intro And Sirota Hype
01:15 Rentell Sponsor Read
02:15 Meet David Sirota
03:00 From Sixers Fan To Sports Writer
04:30 Northwestern And A Very Young J.B. Pritzker
06:00 Working For Bernie In The 90s
08:30 Cross-Party Coalitions Against The Corporate Middle
10:30 The Matrix Moment
11:45 Zooming Back To 2008
13:00 Obama Promised Populism, Governed Moderate
15:00 Ten Million Foreclosures And A Bank Bailout
17:00 Obama Raised More Wall Street Money Than Anyone
18:30 Corruption vs. Capture
19:45 What The Master Plan Actually Is
21:00 Watergate Was A Dark Money Scandal
22:00 Lewis Powell's Memo And The Court That Followed
23:00 From Bribes To Gratuities
24:00 Organized People Beat Organized Money
25:00 The Uprising: Then vs. Now
27:00 Democrats Are Finally Angry At Their Own Party
28:30 How Not To Be Obama 2.0
29:15 Cults Of Personality Have To Go
30:00 Michigan Is The Next Test
31:15 Rip Power Out
32:00 Democracy Is Messy (And That's The Point)
33:00 AIPAC And Bending The Knee
34:00 Public Financing Of Elections
35:30 How Zohran Won New York
36:00 Denver's Model Works
37:00 Wrap And Subscribe
Meet Your Hosts
Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.
Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.
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